Read Time:2 Minute, 5 Second
As the mother of a spirited little girl, I’m always on the lookout for books about kids who stand out—who do things their own way—and make a difference. And in Shelley Johannes’s Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker, we’ve found the perfect little spirited heroine.
The story introduces Beatrice, a little girl who tends to do things differently—who does her best thinking when she’s sitting (or hanging) upside down. As second grade comes to an end, she comes up with a brilliant new plan—one that she’s eager to launch with her best friend, Lenny, on the first day of the new school year. But when she shows up for school in her best ninja suit, as planned, and Lenny returns from her summer vacation looking (and acting) nothing like the same old Lenny, Beatrice is left scrambling to figure out how to survive the new school year.
Beatrice has an imagination that’s every bit as active as she is—and while not everyone will relate to this eccentric kid who likes hanging from trees in her favorite ninja costume, my daughter sure could. She’s such a lovable character—a little girl who can’t always sit still, who looks at things from a completely different perspective, and who (most importantly) has a huge heart. Other characters don’t always understand her—her mom and sister wish she could be a little more normal—but there’s so much to learn from this inspiring, adventurous little girl.
On her challenging first day of third grade, Beatrice has to learn some difficult lessons about friendship. Sometimes, kids change. Sometimes, friends disappoint you or hurt your feelings. Sometimes, they decide that they want to play new games and make new friends. And that’s not always easy to handle. But as Beatrice goes through the day, she uses all of her skills as an upside down thinker to regroup, compromise, be a good friend, and come up with new ideas that help to make everyone happy in the end.
If you know a kid who’s a little more active, more adventurous, more upside down than others, you’ll both love Beatrice and her story. She’s a wonderful character with some lessons to teach young readers. And, throughout it all, she’ll remind you that it’s okay to be yourself—and it’s good to let others be themselves, too.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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